CA, Dollar Tree, Boeing, Costco

MichaelBaron

Among the companies whose shares are expected to see active trading in Wednesday's session is AutoZone
AZO, -1.72%
The auto parts retailer is expected to post a third-quarter profit of $1.55 a share, according to Thomson First Call.

Costco Wholesale
COST, -0.74%
is expected to report earnings of 38 cents a share for the third quarter.

First-quarter numbers for Michaels Stores
MIK, -2.49%
are expected to show a per-share profit of 37 cents.

Computer products distributor Tech Data
TECD, -1.43%
is anticipated to post earnings of 49 cents a share for the first quarter.

Veritas DGC
VTS, -0.79%
is seen reporting a third-quarter profit of 22 cents a share.

Corporate software maker Computer Associates
CA, -0.86%
topped Wall Street estimates for its fiscal fourth-quarter as sales gained 10 percent on the back of a rise in subscription revenue and strength in its contract bookings. The Islandia, N.Y.-based company posted net income of $89 million, or 15 cents a share vs. a year-earlier net loss of $106 million, or 18 cents a share. See full story. In after-hours trading following the earnings report, shares of the company stood at $25.09, giving back 61 cents, or 2.4 percent, from their closing price. The company also said it has offered $10 million to settle federal investigations of its accounting practices.

Chipmaker Semtech
SMTC, -4.38%
boosted its fiscal first-quarter net income 73 percent to $14.8 million on sales growth of 41 percent to $61.9 million. The Camarillo, Calif.-based company posted net income of $14.8 million, or 19 cents a share, and sales of $61.9 million for the quarter that ended April 25. During the same quarter last year, the chipmaker earned $8.3 million, or 11 cents a share, on sales of $44 million. See full story. Shares slipped 1.6 percent to $24.10 in late trading after ending the regular session up 6.8 percent to $24.50.

TiVo
TIVO, -2.16%
a maker of software used in digital video recorders, said that its first-quarter loss was wider than that of a year ago, but that subscribers grew substantially, thanks to the company's partnership with DirecTV
DTV, -0.18%
TiVo said it lost $9.1 million, or 11 cents a share, on revenue of $34.5 million, compared with a loss of $7.9 million or 12 cents a share, on revenue of $28.5 million, in the year-ago period. See full story. The company's shares were up 20 cents at $7.76 in after-hours trading on the Inet ECN.

Sports Authority
TSA, -1.62%
reported first-quarter income of $4.1 million, or 15 cents a share, vs. $4.2 million, or 34 cents a share, a year ago. Excluding merger integration costs, the sporting goods retailer earned 35 cents a share, vs. 18 cents a year ago. Sports Authority said it sees an increase in 2004 profit to a range of $2.59 to $2.65. The company also said chief merchandising officer Elliot Kerbis has resigned. CEO Doug Morton will oversee Kerbis' duties until the company finds a replacement.

The Pentagon deferred a decision on acquiring 100 Boeing
BA, -0.84%
aerial refueling tankers amid recommendations that the contract is possibly too costly and other options should be weighed. Boeing's contract to lease 20 of the 767s and sell 80 is estimated to be worth $23.5 billion. See full story.

Hughes Supply
HUG, +0.85%
reported a sharp rise in first-quarter earnings, citing recent acquisitions and increased commercial and public-sector construction activity. The seller of construction and maintenance products reported income of $29.8 million, or 97 cents a share, vs. $11.8 million, or 51 cents a share, last year. Hughes' first-quarter sales were $992.8 million vs. $782.8 million a year ago. The company expects second-quarter sales of $1.05 billion to $1.02 billion with earnings per share of 93 cents to 98 cents. Hughes also forecasts 2005 per-share profit of $3.15 to $3.30 and sales of $3.8 billion to $3.85 billion.

Portal Software
PRSF
posted a first-quarter loss far wider than analysts had been expecting and declined to provide pro forma guidance for the second quarter. The software company said it lost $5.2 million, or 12 cents a share, vs. a loss of $9.8 million, or 27 cents a share, the year before. Sales edged lower, to $31.2 million from $32.1 million. On a pro forma basis, Portal reported a per-share loss of 19 cents compared with expectations of a 13-cent loss, according to analysts polled by Thomson First Call. Portal Software shares fell to $4.70 after the bell, down 60 cents.

SeaChange International
SEAC, -3.80%
reported first-quarter earnings of $3.2 million, or 11 cents a share, vs. $562,000, or 2 cents a share, a year ago. The digital video system maker said revenue were $41.6 million vs.$34.8 million a year ago. SeaChange said the results for the quarter were higher this year thanks in part to more video-on-demand customers. SeaChange rose 66 cents to $13.23 ahead of the announcement.

Avery Dennison
AVY, -1.57%
said it is being investigated for alleged anticompetitive activities in the European paper and forestry products industry, including the adhesive label stock market. Avery Dennison, based in Pasadena, Calif., said it is fully cooperating with the investigation. On Tuesday, the European Commission and relevant national competition authorities obtained documents from the company's facilities in the Netherlands and Germany. European companies are also under investigation. Avery Dennison is already cooperating with a similar probe being conducted by U.S. antitrust regulators. Shares of Avery Dennison closed up 71 cents to $60.74.

Department store chain Bon-Ton
BONT, -1.43%
said that its board of directors has decided to postpone hiring a new chief executive officer. The board made the decision due to the unexpected medical leave of Bud Bergren, a leading candidate and vice chairman. Tim Grumbacher will remain active CEO until a decision is made pending Bergren's recovery.

Tuesday's advancers

Shares of Blue Coat
BCSI
rose more than 6 percent. The Sunnyvale, Calif. Internet company said Tuesday that its ProxySG software allows companies to block employees on corporate computers from using Google or Yahoo image searches to find and view pornography. According to Blue Coat, URL filtering "is not sufficient" to block these searches or images. A company spokesperson wasn't immediately available for comment.

Boston Scientific
BSX, -0.15%
gained almost 8 percent after the company said a trial of its Taxus VI drug-eluting stent showed positive results on safety and efficacy.

Dycom Industries
DY, -2.19%
rallied more than 8 percent after the company reported third-quarter earnings of $11.2 million, or 23 cents a share, vs. $2.8 million, or 6 cents a share. The construction and engineering services provider reported third-quarter sales jumped to $219.6 million from $139.7 million a year ago. Excluding a $2.3 million one-time charge, Dycom had income of $12.6 million, or 26 cents a share. The company also forecast fourth-quarter sales of $235 million to $250 million and EPS of 30 cents to 36 cents. Dycom said it sees first-quarter 2005 sales of $235 million to $253 million and profit of 30 to 38 cents.

Engineered Support Systems
EASI
added nearly 9 percent after the company reported second-quarter earnings from continuing operations of $18.3 million, or 66 cents per share, up from its year-ago equivalent profit of $8.5 million, or 33 cents per share. Revenue jumped 68 percent in the latest three months to $210.1 million from $125.1 million in the same period a year earlier. The St. Louis military electronics and logistics services provider attributed the revenue increase to the strength of recent acquisitions and exceptional organic growth. The average estimate of analysts polled by Thomson First Call was for a profit of 64 cents per share on revenue of $197.7 million in the April quarter. Looking ahead, Engineered Support lifted its outlook for the full year to earnings from continuing operations of $2.65 to $2.70 per share on revenue of roughly $840 million. It had been looking for earnings to come in about 15 cents per share below this forecast on revenue of $780 million.

GSI Lumonics'
GSLI
shares rose more than 6 percent after the company received a $5 million order to supply multiple WaferTrim laser systems to an undisclosed US-based chip manufacturer. The Billerica, Mass. semiconductor capital equipment company expects the orders to be delivered in the second quarter.

Shares of Humana
HUM, +0.12%
jumped almost 10 percent after the Louisville, N.J. health benefits firm was upgraded to "in-line" from "underperform" by Goldman Sachs, citing valuation. "While we believe pressure on Humana from price competition will continue and intensify, we think that risk is now more fully-priced into the stock versus at the beginning of the year," said the firm. Goldman maintained its 2004 earnings forecast of $1.61 per share

Shares of Ipix
IPIX, +1.28%
surged almost 15 percent after the company said it entered a reseller agreement with JCS Digital Security and was issued a patent for its technology used for gathering digital content for publication.

Shares of IRIS
IRIS, +3.40%
rose nearly 17 percent after the Chatsworth, Calif. medical technology firm received a $2 million grant from the U.S. government for the development of biometric facial recognition technology. The grant is from the U.S. Department of Commerce and the National Institute of Standards and Technology. The system is intended for use in airports, ports of entry, defense installations, laboratories, corporations and other sites where security requires screening of individuals.

Kintera
KNTA
shares gained almost 26 percent after William Blair & Co. initiated coverage of the San Diego software firm's stock with an "outperform" rating. The firm said it expects Kintera, whose products are designed to help non-profit organizations increase donations and reduce administrative costs, to post a loss of 60 cents per share in 2004 before earning 23 cents per share in 2005. "At first blush, the concept of a company attempting to generate substantial profits from nonprofit organizations might appear to be an uphill battle," said analyst Joe LaManna in a press release. "However, in our opinion, Kintera's future success will be fueled by the compelling logic of its Web-based solutions for nonprofit organizations' programming and fundraising activities." William Blair noted that it has received compensation for investment banking services from Kintera in the past year, and that it expects to receive or intends to pursue further compensation from the company in the next three months.

Longview Fibre
LFB
surged more than 13 percent after the company posted fiscal second quarter net income of $5.9 million, or 12 cents a share compared with $500,000 , or a penny a share in the year-ago quarter. Sales jumped 17.5 percent to $213.4 million from $181.6 million, boosted in large part by a sharp rise in timber sales as a result of favorable spring weather across the Northwest. The First Call mean estimate was for a loss of a penny a share on revenue of $204.9 million. Looking ahead to the remainder of the year, the company said it now expects to meet or exceed its original timber sales plan of around 252 million board feet, while continuing to benefit from a higher price environment.

Omnicare
OCR, -1.74%
shares surged almost 5 percent after Schwab Soundview upgraded the stock to "outperform" vs. "neutral", based on the company's stand-alone fundamentals. Analyst Glen Santangelo said the upgrade is not dependent on Omnicare's $1.5 billion bid for Neighborcare launched on Monday, although he views that deal as positive. "Separate from the Neighborcare transaction, we believe the stand-alone fundamentals warrant the upgrade," he told clients in a note. Schwab believes the deal would provide "significant" upside to its estimates. The analyst said recent stock weakness is likely related to concerns about a decelerating growth rate and uncertain reimbursement climate, both of which issues are overly discounted in the share price.

Shares of Shiloh Industries
SHLO, -1.60%
rose almost 18 percent after the Cleveland, Ohio car and truck parts manufacturer reported second-quarter earnings of $8.4 million, or 53 cents per share, up from $1.8 million, or 12 cents per share, a year ago. The single analyst for the same period as polled by Thomson First Call forecast earnings of 16 cents per share. The company said sales rose 12.1 percent to $179.8 million, mostly because of strong truck and car demand and an improving heavy truck market. The company attributed the strong results to "increased production volumes and lower operating costs and interest expense."

Shares of Swift Transportation
SWFT, -0.97%
added nearly 20 percent after the company offered a second quarter earnings outlook well ahead of analyst expectations. Swift said it is forecasting earnings in the range of 24 cents to 30 cents a share, compared with a Thomson First Call average estimate of 22 cents a share. The company said its outlook is the result of a strong first quarter performance when it posted adjusted earnings of 9 cents a share on a 12.9 percent rise in sales to $622.4 million, a penny above estimates. In addition, chief executive Jerry Moyes said Swift will continue its share repurchase program, saying the company's stock is "undervalued at prevailing prices."

Tenneco Automotive
TEN, -2.83%
shares surged more than 18 percent after the company withdrew its $150 million stock offering Monday night. The Lake Forest, Ill. emissions and ride control parts manufacturer said in a press release that that a "weak market," "volatility" and "the immediate impact on the company's stock price" caused the company to withdraw its offering of 11.9 million shares as well as its offer seeking $130 million aggregate principal amount of its 11 5/8 percent senior subordinated notes due in 2009. "The company has no intention to access the markets in the near term," said Tenneco.

Toro
TTC, -5.70%
shares added nearly 8 percent after the company raised its fiscal 2004 outlook, saying it expects earnings to rise 18 to 23 percent, up from its previous projection of a 14 to 18 percent increase. The Bloomington, Minn. lawn maintenance equipment manufacturer reported fiscal second-quarter earnings of $52.2 million, or $2 per share, up from earnings of $42 million, or $1.61 per share, a year ago. The average analyst estimate for the same period as polled by Thomson First Call was for earnings of $1.83 per share. CEO Kendrick Melrose said Toro benefited primarily from products introduced within the past two years and saw "sharp growth in walk power mower shipments." Melrose said earnings were also driven by strong growth in international shipments and "generally favorable weather, including above-average winter snowfalls, a better spring than last year and a stronger economy."

Tuesday's decliners

Bob Evans Farms
BOBE, -1.13%
dropped almost 10 percent after the company warned that it expects first quarter and full fiscal 2005 earnings will decline from year-ago levels. Sales in the first month of its 2005 fiscal July-ending first quarter "have been notably lower than expected," the group said. "In addition, raw material costs in the food products segment have risen sharply in recent weeks." Hog costs are higher, it said. Same-store sales in "core" restaurants in May are expected to decrease around 5 percent, it said. Earnings per share for fiscal 2005 are now expected in a range between $1.80 and $2.00, below its expected fiscal 2004 earnings of approximately $2.03 per share.

Dyax
DYAX, +0.00%
shares dropped nearly 29 percent after the company said the Food and Drug Administration put its investigational new drug application for DX-88 on clinical hold. The company expects the hold to remain in place until questions related to findings in pre-clinical animal studies "have been answered to the FDA's satisfaction." Dyax is developing DX-88, a recombinant protein, as a treatment for hereditary angioedema as part of a joint venture with Genzyme
GENZ
It is also independently developing the drug for the treatment of patients undergoing on-pump coronary artery bypass grafting surgery. Dyax said both it and Genzyme have submitted information to the FDA to assist with its review, and they expect to hold further talks with the regulatory agency in the next several weeks.

Headwaters'
HDWR
stock tumbled more than 6 percent after the company said it plans to offer $150 million of convertible senior subordinated notes privately to institutional buyers. Headwaters expects the deal to include an over-allotment option of $22.5 million. The South Jordan, Utah resources manager said it will use the funds to buy Eldorado Stone LLC, a deal that has already been announced. If the Eldorado deal fails, Headwaters said it will use the funds for "general corporate purposes, including to fund acquisitions of complementary businesses in the chemical, energy, building products and related industries."

Shares of iPayment
IPMT
dipped more than 7 percent after the Nashville, Tenn. credit-card payment processing services company was downgraded to "market perform" by Morgan Keegan due to valuation. The analysts wrote that the current share price reflects expectations of 20 percent revenue growth in 2004 and 2005, a performance the firm thinks is already reflected in the stock. "While we do not believe this revenue growth rate is unrealistic we do believe the valuation of the shares leaves only modest room for additional upside from current levels," the firm told clients.

Novell
NOVL
shares lost almost 8 percent after the company reported adjusted quarterly earnings late Monday that met analysts' expectations, as sales rose 6.5 percent from the same period last year, though sales of the flagship NetWare product continued to slide. The network software maker, which has increasingly tied its fortunes to the Linux operating system, posted earnings for its second quarter, ended April 30, (excluding one-time items such as costs related to restructuring and investment losses) of $14 million, or 3 cents a share. A year earlier, the company lost $7 million, or 2 cents a share. The results met expectations of analysts polled by Thomson First Call. See full story.

Plug Power
PLUG, -1.92%
shares fell 6 percent after DTE Energy
DTE, +0.02%
sold 3.5 million shares of the fuel cell developer, reducing its stake in the company to 14.5 percent from a prior 19.4 percent. The Detroit-based DTE said regulatory issues facing its utilities have forced it to focus more sharply on cost management and cash generation.

Intraday Data provided by SIX Financial Information and subject to terms of use.
Historical and current end-of-day data provided by SIX Financial Information.
All quotes are in local exchange time. Real-time last sale data for U.S. stock quotes reflect trades reported through Nasdaq only.
Intraday data delayed at least 15 minutes or per exchange requirements.